An analysis of more than six decades of daily temperature and snowfall data linked warmer arctic temperatures to cold snaps at lower latitudes. Christopher Intagliata reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

Meta

Category: future car technology

In the past decade alone, the motor industry has turned up new innovations on cars and engines that we never knew we wanted or needed. Making things easier and safer is where the technological mindset of car makers are going, when it comes to the future of cars.

While most of the innovation delve towards the stuff of geeky science fiction man-dreams, future technology centers around the idea that car owners can drive safer self-aware vehicles, as well. In addition to this, auto financing will also get an upgrade, so if you have outstanding or delinquent debt items, like prestige finance, on your credit report, removing it & improving your credit score is critical – if you wish to qualify for the best (and latest) auto financing.

Here, we list the latest car technologies of the recent years, and some spiffy new features coming to your car sooner or later, probably sooner than you think.

1) Automated Parking System – While the idea of an automated parking system first started in 1934 (which involved mechanical jacks that would transfer the car to their correct parallel space) – these days, computers do the trick and take control of the car.

Current models have become decidedly more mainstream. A rose by any other name would still parallel park your car, as they say, and the automated parking system technology comes in so many names, from Intelligent Parking Assist (Toyota), to Parksense (Jeep), to Active Park Assist (Ford and Lincoln), to Parking Assistant (Toyota, Lexus, BMW).

Last year, the Bosch (a German company) planned to roll out a fully driverless parking assist system. All you needed was a smart phone to activate the system. Fascinating new stuff! You can actually get out of the car and watch (from a distance) as your car parks itself!

2) The Rise of the Surround View Camera Overlord – Sure you can parallel park your car while walking away (those things still mostly use Omniview technology to compute and figure out how to fit into tight parallel spaces), what about those of us who want to do reverse parking, instead and don’t want a computer doing it for us? Well, car makers decided to make things even easier with technological advances in rear-cam technology.

While the rear cam add-on has been around for ages, with legislators saying that it’ll be a requirement for all vehicles by 2018, the past few years have given rise to the idea of a camera overlord of sorts. While car makers don’t really call it that, instead they call it, Surround View System, Around View System or the 360 degree camera systems.

These systems show you, not only the back of the car, but the whole of the car in relation to the walls and obstructions around the car — front, back and all sides. Surround view cameras are much safer, ensuring that you don’t scratch your car (or hit a child or a pet) while moving out of a driveway; this will also dramatically reduce accidents that lead to expensive traffic tickets (or even lawsuits in more severe cases). On a side note, anyone who has been wrongfully hit with a traffic ticket or a debt resulting from it, like national credit collections agency, can get it quickly resolved with the help of credit repair experts.

Some systems even use it to enhance security of the vehicle. This 2016, Cadillac’s CT6 features a “Surround Vision System” add-on. This is not your typical system, as it also is able to record your drive. Like a black box of a car (as compared to the black box of an airplane), this system can show anyone what you did, what happened, which would really be beneficial if you get into an accident or a traffic altercation.

It also automatically engages when the surround view system locates an obstruction or disturbance around the car. So any lurkers thinking of laying their hands on your sweet ride, will have to be very careful. We predict that when cars are fully integrated into the internet, you’ll also be able to access the camera’s features remotely, at any time.

It should also be noted that, given the car upgrades, insurance policies will also be undergoing changes, as well. One’s credit score effects the terms of an insurance policy – so, improve your credit reports to get the best insurance premiums for your new car.

3) Phone Projection Systems – Apple CarPlay won the top award in technology, during the 2016 Technology of the Year awards – by AutoBlog (held in the recent Detroit Auto Show). It’s all about fusing technology and entertainment with an emphasis on how it’s going to be easier for the driver to access information, during the drive, without compromising their safety.

This is perfect for those of us that do not want to pay extra for an on board navigation system, and those of us who would not want to be pulled over for fiddling with our phone, while driving – as using our phone while driving has been proven to increase our risks of getting in an accident; as mentioned before, accidents such as these can lead to debts, like hunter debt collections, which can be easily resolved with the help of credit experts (if said debt was an error).

Besides answering calls, drivers can also listen to messages received, as well as dictate messages to be sent (as an email or an sms message). Third party apps on your phone can also be accessible via the Apple Carplay, from apps like Spotify, Audiobooks.com, Audible, and Clammr – to name a few. This technology is available in more than 100 car models, and counting.

Android users, do not despair, as there is a Google counterpart, the Google Auto does most of what Apple Carplay does – it’s up to the consumer to decide which operating system they prefer.

4) Autonomous Driving – Tesla Autopilot rules this game with various videos of autopilot tests going viral this year. Here, cars virtually drive itself using GPS, as well as technology, such as cameras. This technology continually innovates, with updates to its systems, at a fast pace. This innovative technology does have its issues, but still remains promising. Insurance rates for a car like this is likely to be higher, given susceptibility to accidents in auto-pilot mode. Thus, an unblemished credit report can improve your chances of getting better premiums.

Google also have their own version of a self-driving car, although last year they reported adding collisions to their tests. So, it’s a longer road before this technology is available to everyone, but definitely for the chosen few who have tried it – it’s a trippy sci-fi dream ride!